Akubra Campdraft

[Edward]

A very beauty CD Edward. Looks great on you.

Thank-you, Sir. It's certainly an interesting change from a Federation - subtle differences, mainly, but much more noticeable than I'd expected.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Manfred nice Broso but it looks nothing like a Campdraft.

 

[Chepstow]

Ed, Sorry i was Dreaming today!

 

[jkingrph]

It looks good on you. That's one of my favorite hats. After getting it, I got a standard in Bluegrass Green which I like also. A couple of years ago I had Art make me a custom in his blue-gray color and gave him specifications to copy the hat worn by Jeff Bridges in the movie Seabiscuit, which upon comparing turns out to be Campdraft specs, with a slightly narrower brim.

Looking at you picture I think I stopped for a quick pint one eveniing there. I was in England in Jan-March of 91 as USAF pharmacy officer at a contingency hospital for Desert Storm, down at Little Rissington. We met some great folks at Carterton where we were bilited, and at Brize Norton. Fortunately the casualties did not occur like anticipitated so we mostly did day tours around the area including a few trips into London.

The most memorable thing was the last day we were there and a group of the large British transport jets returned and did some fly overs just before landing. They were flying and handling those big planes like we only see fighter aircraft flown over here, it was amazing.

 

[Edward]

It looks good on you. That's one of my favorite hats. After getting it, I got a standard in Bluegrass Green which I like also.

Thanks, yeah, I'm liking it a lot. The overall rigidity was a bit of a surprise, but I expect it'll be nice and soft like my Fed Deluxe in a year or two. The other big difference to my eye is the thin ribbon giving the crown greater perceived depth. I have my eye on a couple of the standards too - certainly a grey one. I'd be tempted to buy one specifically to have a deeper, Fed style ribbon put on it, and given a similar fedora type bash. Would be the closest thing in look to a Federation with a bound brim and a wind trolley...

London is a great place. I arrived as an immigrant on a twelve month contract and decided by month four I wanted to settle here. That was thirteen years ago next month.

 

[Chuck Bobuck]

Thanks, yeah, I'm liking it a lot. The overall rigidity was a bit of a surprise, but I expect it'll be nice and soft like my Fed Deluxe in a year or two. The other big difference to my eye is the thin ribbon giving the crown greater perceived depth. I have my eye on a couple of the standards too - certainly a grey one. I'd be tempted to buy one specifically to have a deeper, Fed style ribbon put on it, and given a similar fedora type bash. Would be the closest thing in look to a Federation with a bound brim and a wind trolley...

London is a great place. I arrived as an immigrant on a twelve month contract and decided by month four I wanted to settle here. That was thirteen years ago next month.

The CD looks great Edward. The CD will definitely soften up when you wear it and rain will help. Are Londoners accustomed to seeing hats the size of the CD? Are reactions favorable?

 

[RBH]

A very beauty CD Edward. Looks great on you.

Looks really good on you!

 

[Edward]

The CD looks great Edward. The CD will definitely soften up when you wear it and rain will help. Are Londoners accustomed to seeing hats the size of the CD? Are reactions favorable?

Thanks.... it's drawn very little comment (all positive) so far. Lovely thing about London, it's very easy to do your own thing and it not be a big deal. FWIW, the dimensions are almost identical to my MKIII Fed Deluxe, though the thin ribbon certainly does make it seem taller. Just waiting now for it to shrink to size.

 

[Sam Craig]

My new gray Camp Draft -- two words on the sweat -- arrived in Thursday's mail.
One week and one day after it was shipped from Katoomba.

It is a very nice gray.
More of a charcoal than the gray in the Squatter ... though that is a beautiful gray with just a tinge of blue to it.

This will be a great addition, to be followed up with the green Squatter and finally with a silver belly Camp Draft.

Sam

 

[gtdean48]

My new gray Camp Draft -- two words on the sweat -- arrived in Thursday's mail.
...

Congrats Sam. The Akubra Imperial sweatband is the only place I have seen it spelled as 2 words besides folks typing it in here at the Lounge....

 

[Sam Craig]

Congrats Sam. The Akubra Imperial sweatband is the only place I have seen it spelled as 2 words besides folks typing it in here at the Lounge....

Thanks.

I'm making preperations to get a silver belly CD to replace the last of my old ORs.
For years in this area you could count of getting a vintage OR every couple of years and I wore the dickens out of them.
I wore them as fedoras back in the 80s and I shudder to think now how many I went through with summer wear and taking them on missions trips to Honduras ... where they were mightly popular, I might ad.

For the past few years, though, the only thing that ever turns up is the occasional modern OR and as you all know there is little you can do to turn one of them into a decent fedora.

So I'm giving up.

I am enjoying my glen grey so much, and I have always loved my Bluegrass that I bought from a fellow Lounger ... I'm going to move on and get the silver belly CD. I'm afraid the chances of a true vintage OR showing up in my size is pretty slim these days.

Sam

 

[Jim2903]

I am enjoying my glen grey so much, and I have always loved my Bluegrass that I bought from a fellow Lounger ... I'm going to move on and get the silver belly CD. I'm afraid the chances of a true vintage OR showing up in my size is pretty slim these days.

Sam

Glad you're enjoying the BG, Sam -- and you will love the silverbelly. It's the one I wouldn't give up

Seriously, I think it's my favorite Akubra (neck and neck with my brown Fed III), probably why it's the only one so far to have its name worn off the sweatband.

 

[Sam Craig]

Glad you're enjoying the BG, Sam -- and you will love the silverbelly. It's the one I wouldn't give up

Seriously, I think it's my favorite Akubra (neck and neck with my brown Fed III), probably why it's the only one so far to have its name worn off the sweatband.

I have to say, Jim, I have enjoyed all of the Akubras I have found so far.

As I explained, when I first started accumulating them, I was still hoping to come up with the vintage OR in my size and a year ago I did come up with a great condition Stetson Stratoliner. I got it at a great price. It was pretty much like new, but it was a size too small.
I used poor judgement and tried to stretch it out and ended up having to have the sweat replaced and once it was all done, it just didn't have the dimensions I would like.

I should have sold it to someone with a smaller konk and put the money into a CD.

Thanks to the great work by Wichita Hat Works, I'll still enjoy that Strat with Hawaiian shirts this spring and summer, but for dressier wear, I want the full dimensions and I can get that with the Silverbelly CD.

I still like the dickens out of the Bluegrass and, in fact, I have a Willow Green Squatter on the way now.

Thanks again, Jim and thanks to Monbla who got me off center on the Bushman and the Squatters. And to Picker for turning me on to the Fed IV and the Kokoda.
These are all great hats.

Sam

 

[Hoyt Clagwell]

I am really starting to lean toward a silverbelly CD, rather than a modern Statoliner for my first hat in that colour.For what most are charging for the Strat, I can almost get a heritage Campdraft from Hats Direct.
The service will be quick and dependable, probably cheaper in the long run.

 

[jlee562]

Personally I feel like the "silverbelly" on the Heritage CD isn't a great representation of the color. I remember that when the first Loungers popped up with theirs, there was some lively discussion on the color. That having been said, if I were going to choose between a modern Akubra and a modern Stetson, I'd go for the Akubra.

 

[Stinkykid]

My Silverbelly CD Deluxe is my favourite hat. It's very versatile and the colour just seems to suit the hat (if that makes any sense). It is also the most comfortable hat I own - somehow more comfortable than other heritage felt Akubras I have. Perhaps it's the lighter weight of this hat coupled with the superior heritage sweatband.

I feel like I should buy a dozen of them just in case they ever stop making them, but my wife really would have me committed to an asylum then.

 

[Hoyt Clagwell]

.

I feel like I should buy a dozen of them just in case they ever stop making them, but my wife really would have me committed to an asylum then.

You must be like me. When I was much younger and poorer, I used to always think I should buy more than one of something I really liked, but never did for lack of money. Now when I find something I like I always get extras to have on hand.They always get used up eventually.These days too many good things vanish too quickly!

 

[gtdean48]

....
I feel like I should buy a dozen of them just in case they ever stop making them, but my wife really would have me committed to an asylum then.

I know how you feel. I have some boots by Ariat, a model they Hexcel Pro Ropers, that fit my feet perfectly. They came out with a new model, Cobalt something, that just didn't fit the same and stopped producing the Hexcel model. I bought every pair I could find in my size before they vanished!

 

[Sam Craig]

OK, so in the next few weeks I will be deciding ... on the Silverbelly Campdraft ... do I go Imperial or Heritage?

I really like my two Imperial Campdrafts. I like the light weight of the felt. But I would hate to get a silverbelly and end up wishing I'd kicked in the extra down the line.

So ... seriously, guys ... what's the difference? And I mean beyond what I can read on the Akubra website about the width of the sweat etc......

Sam

 

[frussell]

I'm sure I'll get tarred for this Sam, but I've owned two Imperial Silverbelly CDs and one Heritage, and other than a tad more quality on the sweatband, I didn't feel like the difference in felt quality was noticeable enough to warrant the $$. At least on the specimen I owned (briefly), I couldn't feel any difference in finish, pouncing, etc.... I don't consider myself a beginner in noticing these things, as I've been wearing quality westerns and fedoras for about 45 years, and owned fine vintage (Kitten Finish, Stratoliners, OR 25) felts as well as 100% beavers from Art and TonyB. A long way of saying I've been just as happy with the Imperials I've owned, and still own at least one. Frank